


i have class, and you don't

by dwelling_on_dreams



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 09:41:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11101905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwelling_on_dreams/pseuds/dwelling_on_dreams
Summary: Princess Clarke of Arkadia has been visiting the kingdom of Trikru for some time now with her mother. She considers herself the most proper of young princesses, her only vice being the lure of freshly baked pastries in the palace kitchen. Her lifelong rival and fellow princess, Lexa of Trikru, is the opposite of everything Clarke considers a princess should be. She plays sword-fighting, runs around in commoners clothing and never wears her tiara as she gallivants around the grounds on her adventures.When Clarke revisits the palace of Trikru years later on her engagement tour, she discovers the rivalry no longer remains, and the tension is entirely different.





	i have class, and you don't

**Author's Note:**

> at the start clexa are around 10 years old

Blonde hair peeked out from around the corner of the stairwell, heavy breathing from exertion giving away the young princess' location regardless of the hiding. She could smell the cinnamon wafting around the cold, dark palace and couldn't resist a forbidden visit to the kitchens to satisfy the sugar craving only Trikru's best pastry chefs could satisfy. Princess Clarke of Arkadia hiked up her many skirts and risked the final corridor, darting into the open, and burst into the warm room filled with a crackling fire and her precious pastries. Jutting her chin in the air in triumph, the blue-eyed princess strutted across the empty room to the platter of still-warm goodies, lifting one of the sticky sweet treats to her lips when suddenly, it was snatched from her waiting mouth. Clarke jolted back, terrified of being reprimanded by the overprotective cook. However, when her eyes fell to the person depriving her of her favourite snack, Clarke was furious.

"Lexa! I was about to enjoy that thank you very much!" the young girl shrilled.

The raggedy brunette rolled her eyes as she took a huge sticky bite. "Lexaaaaaa!" the blonde was indignant.

"Sorry Princess, but Anya and I need sustenance for our journey," Princess Lexa of Trikru retorted as she took another large bite. The way she said "Princess" made the royal title sound like a mockery.

"That's not fair! What do you mean, your journey? You know we're not allowed to leave the palace without escorts and only during the day Lexa," Clarke now had her hands on her hips and was pouting at the other princess.

"Secret scout business, you wouldn't understand. Probably too dangerous for a prissy goody-two-shoes like your Royal Highness," Lexa said, now filling a burlap sack she had procured from a hook on the wall with apples, bread rolls, and numerous pastries.

"Hey!" She knew Lexa was right, Clarke did hate getting her skirts dirty and she knew she could never keep up with nimble Lexa. But she was never one to back away from a challenge, especially one issued by her number one rival. "Maybe I would understand. I could easily leave this palace undetected and be back before anyone even notices I'm gone." She resisted the un-princess-like temptation to stick out her tongue at the brunette.

Lexa hesitated, giving Clarke a once-over. "There'll be dirt," she said doubtfully.

"Whatever," Clarke said, wiping her still-sticky hands down the front of her dress, trying to prove her point, and managed to only wince a tiny bit. Lexa laughed, tossing her messy brown curls over one shoulder.

"Okay Princess. If you can keep up, you can come." With that, Lexa, who was dressed in traditional Trikru materials and looked virtually unrecognisable to the untrained eye, turned on her heel and disappeared into the hallway Clarke had come from.

"Lex, wait!" Clarke took off after her, stopping suddenly when she got to the long hallway, where Lexa was nowhere to be seen? "Lexa?" Clarke whimpered, the darkness suddenly feeling threatening and dangerous after the warm kitchen.

The huge tapestry hanging on the wall to Clarke's left suddenly shuddered and the blonde shrieked, certain an assassin was about to leap on her. She groaned in frustration when brown curls peeked out from around the side, whispering, "hurry up slow-poke! We'll get caught if you don't shut up!"

Indignant at being told off by someone of the same ranking as her, Clarke frowned, but followed the other princess behind the tapestry where a small hole in the wall led to a long, spiral staircase leading to the gods-know-where. Looking down into the dark abyss of stairs, the only sound being a faint dripping, Clarke shivered. She didn't know if she wanted to be on this adventure anymore. Unexpectedly, a small warm hand gripped hers. Clarke squinted through the darkness to see Lexa, a cheeky grin splashed across her freckled face. "Come on scaredy-cat," whispered the princess, as she led Clarke down into the darkness.

 

* * *

 

The day Queen Abigail of Arkadia and her daughter Princess Clarke arrived at Trikru Palace, Clarke was nervous. She had heard all about the beautiful palace, with its taciturn King and Queen, and their wild offspring, but well-loved by her people, Princess Lexa.

As they entered the palace foyer, Clarke smoothed down her baby blue gown and touched her tiara, making sure it was perfectly in place. She wanted to make a good first impression in the place she would be calling home for the next few months, and her mother had stressed to the young girl the importance of keeping good relationships between kingdoms. Following her mother past the entrance, Clarke was enthralled by the opulence of the castle. Then her graze dropped to take in the royal family.

Both the King and Queen looked exceptionally regal, as they greeted her mother courteously. Princess Lexa looked extremely uncomfortable. The girl looked awkward in her stunning forest green gown, trimmed with gold, and the tiara of interwoven gold branches that perched on her brow. Her curly hair fell in meticulous braids down her back. She stared back at Clarke with a frown on her face, as if already deciding the well-put-together princess would be more hindrance than help on any of her palace adventures. Lexa was forever trading her etiquette lessons for sword-play, or horse-riding, much to her parents dismay, and Princess Clarke looked just like the kind of girl who knew exactly which fork to use at a fancy gala dinner.

Both girls decided immediately to become the best of rivals.

 

* * *

Clarke couldn't believe it had been almost 8 years since she had last visited Trikru Palace. She had called the castle home for the better part of a year as her mother had negotiated trade deals and peace treaties with many neighbouring nations while building Arkadia's relationship with the people of Trikru. The two nations were strong allies, and when fighting together, were virtually indestructible. 

Clarke remembered many days and evenings around the palace trying to keep up with the feisty Princess Lexa, stalking the other girl throughout the castle, trying to thwart each other's adventures. Clarke had endured many a lecture for ripped and dirtied skirts, while it seemed Lexa got off with an exasperated sigh and an eye roll, the brunette snickering at Clarke as she slunk off to find more trouble, no doubt.

She wondered what Lexa would be like now. She knew the girl had experienced much trauma since they had last met, after an awful assassination attempt on the whole family resulted in her parents' death, only months after Clarke and her mother had returned home. Lexa, at only 11 years old, had become the monarch of her now volatile nation, and had needed to grow up very quickly, the responsibility of leading her people resting heavily on her shoulders. She had heard rumours that Lexa had become just as cold and reserved as her parents once were, though she was still well-regarded and respected by her people.

Clarke was just as nervous, if not more so than her first visit to the palace. This time, her reason for the visit was much more brief. Her mother had arranged her betrothal to Finn Collins, Prince of a turbulent nation on the verge of war against Arkadia and Trikru. Queen Abigail hoped this union with her daughter would halt any talk of war, and return the countries to routine. Clarke was not resentful, but she wished she might have had more time to spend with the Prince to get to know him before promising to spend the rest of her life ruling a foreign kingdom.

 

When Lexa descended the grand staircase and walked towards Clarke, the blonde princess felt as if the floor had dropped from beneath her feet. The scraggly slip of a girl Clarke had known during her childhood had well and truly grown up. Lexa glided toward her, clad in traditional Trikru garb, but this was no commoner's outfit. Lexa wore a dark tunic, tight pants, leather boots, an intricately designed sword strapped to her hip and a blood red velvet sash slung over her shoulder. Her eye makeup was dark, and Lexa had replaced the tiara with a small, circular metal symbol on her brow. Clarke felt like she couldn't breathe.

"Clarke," Lexa nodded her head in recognition of the other princess, who suddenly found her voice again.

"You look... different," Clarke blurted, shocked at her own rudeness. Lexa, however, chuckled, giving Clarke the once-over in return, just like many years ago.

"As do you, Clarke of Arkadia," she replied, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.

* * *

They had been feasting for the past 5 hours and Clarke was beginning to feel a little more than tipsy. She had been seated on the left side of Lexa, and she soon discovered that the animosity of their past had given way to civilised discussion of politics and trade. Clarke, however, despite her near perfect education and etiquette training, could not think of more utterly boring topics than those they were discussing. So, after draining her fifth or sixth glass of mulled wine (she was beginning to lose count), the blonde princess leant over to Lexa and whispered in her ear.

"Does Anya always look like she swallowed a lemon?" the princess giggled in Lexa's ear. If the brunette was startled by Clarke's sudden conversation change and proximity, she hid it well. Glancing over at her second, Lexa couldn't help a smirk at Anya's pinched expression.

"It's because she's sitting next to Murphy," Lexa whispered conspiratorially, "and they're betrothed. Anya couldn't be less interested, I do believe I recall her referring to him as more clueless than a headless deer."

Clarke giggled. "Well, I can definitely relate to the betrothed thing."

Lexa's eyebrow quirked. "I was under the impression yourself and Mr Collins were well acquainted?"

"Not particularly, he has visited Arkadia a few times. He is tolerable, but can be rather arrogant and seems to disappear before the evening is over." She exchanged a knowing glance with Lexa. "However, I have been assured he will make a fair king, and if it is what is best for our people then I guess I cannot protest. It's not like I have any other prospects on the horizon." She grimaced at Lexa. Unreadable green eyes stared back at her, and Clarke felt herself losing her train of thought as she held Lexa's gaze. The brunette's eyes almost reluctantly fell to the other princess' lips.

"Oh, is that so," murmured Lexa.

Clarke suddenly snapped back, as she realised she was leaning in to the other girl. "Um, yes," she stammered, "and what about you? Surely a stunning, eligible young queen has already lost her heart to an eligible suitor?"

Lexa was back to smirking. "Oh, I have many lovers tripping over themselves to steal the heart of their Heda," she said, referring to the traditional title of royalty in Trikru. Clarke was unsure if Lexa was joking. The concern must have shown on her face, as Lexa chuckled and bent her head close to Clarke's once again.

"But I seem to have a thing for blondes."

Clarke felt a foreign chill run through her, making the hair on the back of her neck stand up and anticipation curl low in her belly. She must have drunk more wine than she thought, as she found herself drawing closer to the brunette. She glanced a look into Lexa's face. The other girl's pupils were blown as she leant down towards Clarke. Their noses were almost brushing when Lexa pulled back slightly. "Not here," she murmured, and pulling Clarke by the hand she excused them from the banquet and down a dark corridor.

"Hey! This is the corridor with the secret staircase! Remember Lex, the one you showed me on our first adventure?!" Lexa smiled at the childhood nickname - no one ever dared to call her anything other than Heda or Commander nowadays.

"Yes Clarke, and I also recall asking you to be quiet back then as well," Lexa softly replied. Clarke felt the butterflies flare up in her stomach, her pulse racing as she inched closer to Lexa, their hands still intertwined.

"Well, what secret are you going to show me this time?" she teased.

Lexa suddenly twirled Clarke around until her back was pressed against cold stone. She shivered, but not from the cold.

"This castle is full of secrets," she replied. Slowly, she placed one hand on the wall behind Clarke and trailed the other along the blonde's jaw gently. She inched closer, until Clarke could no longer bear it, giving into temptation and closing the gap between their lips. Clarke felt as if liquid gold had been poured through her veins. What started as a gentle kiss quickly became more passionate, Clarke's tongue tracing Lexa's bottom lip, seeking access. The brunette groaned, granting the princess entry and her hand trailing down to her neck and collarbone. Clarke's hands twined in the front of Lexa's tunic and she sighed breathily, shivering again.

"Lexa," she whispered. With dark eyes, the brunette pulled back slightly.

"You should call off your engagement. I have a better proposal."

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on tumblr [@dwelling0ndreams](https://dwelling0ndreams.tumblr.com/)


End file.
